The Traveler
by thoughtpolice
Summary: Kenny is a traveler, who spontaneously appears and disappears without much control. Craig is the unlucky bastard who falls in love with him.


The **first** time I leave you we're only nine, chasing each other under the cold winter sky.

Our laughs break out in chopped notes as the soles of our sneakers scrape against the dirty pavement.

I wonder how long it'll be before our legs give out.

We don't know where we're running to, but it's fine. Because no one is looking for us.

No one is wondering when we'll come back.

The bitter air fills our lungs and it hurts.

I want to ask you if we can outrun our shadows, but I turn back to see your smile has faded.

And there's a strange sensation that runs through my veins,

a kind of pulse that emits an intense heat.

"Kenny…" I hear you say. But your voice feels distant. You've stopped running and your face has gone pale.

_Craig, keep running. The sun is almost down. _

"What's happening?" Your voice quakes and your eyes are glued to me, round with curiosity and fear.

I panic.

The heat rises from my stomach, prickling my fingers and pushing hard against my ribcage.

I don't know what you see. I don't know what makes your eyes well up with tears in shock.

But I feel myself dissolving, ripping into thin strips and breaking into particles of golden dust.

Your breath hitches and in the blink of an eye

I'm gone,

leaving you alone in the middle of the vacant road.

"K-Kenny?"

* * *

The **second** time I leave you, you're fifteen and determined to find out what is wrong with me.

I don't like the way you stare, chewing you lip thoughtfully, like I'm some mathematical equation to be solved.

I want you to know I'm _back_. And that's all that _matters_.

I want you to know

that I walked endlessly through the thick filthy air of crowded cities

across empty fields and busy interstates just to get back to this shit-hole of a town.

Just to get back to **you**.

"What happened that day?"

I feel the weight of the trip plummet to the ends of my feet.

"I don't know." I say, but I'm glad you're still holding me in your arms.

We lay quietly on your bed and it takes me hours just to get you to start counting stars again.

Stripe wanders aimlessly across our interlaced arms as you recite the names of constellations I've never heard of, sighing happily at the far-fetched dream of one day walking on the moon.

"_Fuck the moon_." I whisper sleepily against your neck. Your breathing is deep and calm but your heartbeat quickens its pace.

"I need you to stay." You say. The fear in your voice is back.

"I will." I nod, letting my eyes close slowly.

"_Please._"

I want to make it a promise. But I feel the livid heat flush down my spine and I open my eyes to find myself back in the cold dark alley of an unknown place with your warmth still trapped between my fingertips.

* * *

The **third** time I leave you, we're eighteen, struggling with the belts on our pants and the thin cotton shirts on our backs.

Your tongue is bittersweet against mine, and the car begins to fog up with our heated breaths.

You're **angry**. You're **tired**. But most unfortunate of all, you're _drunk_.

I wrap my legs around your waist and pull you closer, tangling my hands in your dirty hair. You grind your hips down with enough pressure to make me forget why we even fought.

The taste of liquor is stained on our mouths, blurring our vision and making our hands tremble.

"Don't leave." You slur around my ear, biting it gently and gripping my hips, making me lose control of my vocal cords.

"Kenny…" I hear you say. "Promise me."

I feel the small spark of heat in the pit of my stomach.

_No. No, No please __**no**__. I can't leave him. Don't make me leave him._

"Craig, stop." I push away, and I notice you've stopped a long while before. Your body is rigid against mine, your head pressed firmly between the crook of my neck.

"Craig…" I manage to say before I feel your body erupt in goosebumps. A visible shiver runs down your spine and you crumble down to tears.

"You're gonna leave. I know it." You choke out.

The prickling in my fingertips begins to intensify. I begin to feel less and less dense.

"Why do you keep coming **back**."

"Craig, _please_—"

"Why, Kenny? When all you do is fucking leave!"

There's a fire in my chest and I can feel my spine dissolve into the carseat below me. I grab onto your shoulders only to find my fingers breaking into reflective dust.

"NO!" I shout. "Craig, just hold on to me!"

But you lay there motionless, stuck in trance, marveling at the swirls of gold that engulf my body.

"Craig, I'll come back! I promise! I won't fucking leave!"

You close your eyes.

And suddenly I'm sitting on the banks of a cold still river staring aimlessly above at the canvas of stars.

* * *

When I find my way back home I'm twenty one, and the sun is high above the sky.

The soles of my shoes are worn out but I still push myself into familiar streets, past familiar faces running out of breath just to find what I've been searching for.

I know where you are and it doesn't take me long to find you.

I tread breathlessly through the mucky grass of Stark's Pond, hoping to spot you sitting at the edge of the dock.

And I do. But I don't run to you. I don't call your name or surprise you from behind, kissing your neck and telling you I'm never going anywhere again.

Instead, I slump against the bark of a tree and let out a shaky sigh.

Your sitting on the edge with your arm around **his **waist, running a hand through **his** pale blonde hair.

I feel the back of my eyes sting and I know…this time I've come too late.

But I don't blame you. And I don't hate you. Because you turn you head in the slightest and I can see you smile. A smile I haven't seen in years.

You cup his face and smile against his lips.

I feel my chest expand with heat.

You tell him something I can't quite decipher but it makes him nod and kiss you once more.

My feet feel weightless. And I look down to see a swirl of golden particles eating away at my flesh. My heart thumps wildly and my stomach clenches. I feel a hot flash run down my sides. And now I know what made you freeze in place.

How it felt like to watch me **_disappear_**.

My eyes well up with tears and I look back up to see you looking directly at me. You're confused, slightly alarmed. And I can tell you're trying to convince yourself this isn't real.

"_Goodbye_." I smile weakly through a whisper, hoping you do convince yourself.

Because this is the **final** time I leave you.

And I never come back.

* * *

author's note: i posted this one-shot on my tumblr a while ago, just thought i'd put it up here too. for those who have read Bad Things, I'm really sorry for my lack of updates. I was going to put up the next three chapters last week, but my laptop was a dick and only half of one chapter got saved. but the chapters will be posted up by the end of this week, hopefully. :)


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